Breaching Apparatus for Use with Explosive Charges

ABSTRACT

A collapsible, foldable breach bag with a planar body and a flexible fillable bladder for breaching locked or barricaded doors or penetrating surfaces with explosive charges. The breach bag is generally cylindrical and includes an interior wall and an exterior wall, joined at their respective upper and lower edges so as to form a tube with space apart interior and exterior sides. A flexible fill spout with a flexible material connection to an upper portion of the exterior wall enables detonation of the bag without producing a dangerous projectile. Material attributes and dimensions enable the bag to capture and secure a length of det cord disposed through the interior passage when the bag is filled with fluid. Air pockets may be urged out from the interior volume using the fill spout, and the fill spout may then be clamped or tied off and secured to a structural surface.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 62/890,985, filed Aug. 23, 2019 (Aug. 23, 2019),which application is incorporated in its entirety by reference herein.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

THE NAMES OR PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not applicable.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for breachingstructures, and more particularly to a flexible, fillable and/orinflatable bag for use with explosive charges for breaching locked orbarricaded doors, walls, roofs and ceilings.

Background Discussion

The present invention is a technical but substantial improvement on U.S.Pat. No. 8,215,235, which is incorporated in its entirety by referenceherein. As noted in the background section of that patent, specialweapons and tactic (SWAT) teams or other police and military personnelfrequently use breaching apparatus to gain entry into locked andbarricaded buildings, where criminals, terrorists, hostages, drug cachesand the like are located. SWAT teams routinely breach doors quickly byusing battering rams, shotguns, and/or explosive charges. These devicescan be employed singly or in combination to break the lock or hinges, oreven to demolish the door frame itself

The device disclosed and claimed in the '235 patent was itself asubstantial improvement over breach bags in the prior art, but itsperfection awaited the improvements disclosed herein. Notably, thepresent invention addresses a few practical and one salient shortcomingin all prior art devices: specifically, known prior art devicesfrequently (most often) leave air pockets in either the fluid bladder orin the space immediately surrounding a detonation cord insert, whichcompromises an even distribution of blast forces and require that detcord installed in an interior space between fill pockets be affixed withtape or otherwise secured with an element or material additional to thebreach bag itself Further, prior art devices lack structure for rapidfilling, rapid emptying, and use of a fill spout as a connecting elementto affix the breach bag to a structure. Still further, prior art devicesinvariably include a fill valve, generally constructed of a harderplastic than the breach bag bladder material, thereby creating apotentially dangerous projectile.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention resolves the shortcomings in the prior art. Thepresent invention is a fully collapsible, flexible cylindrical containerhaving a singular continuous tubular bladder with spaced apart flexibleinterior and exterior membrane sides, the interior side defining andsurrounding a hollow interior portion into which an explosive charge,such as detonation cord (“det cord”), may be disposed. The bladder andthe material dimensions of the bladder—specifically, the thickness ofthe flexible membrane in cooperation with the elasticity of the materialand the cross-sectional dimension of the cylindrical interiorspace—allow for stretching and expansion such that when filled withwater and/or water and a composition to create a gel (such as Cab-O-Siland polymer), the interior membrane side of the fillable bladdercompletely and tightly surrounds det cord to eliminate air spaces,pockets, and gaps so as to grasp a length of det cord inserted throughthe cylindrical interior, thereby obviating the need for tape to securethe det cord.

From the foregoing it will be readily appreciated that it is a principalobject of the present invention to provide a new and improved breach bagfor use with explosive charges in breaching doors, walls, and ceilings.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved flexible and entirely collapsible and rollable bag that is afour-layered effectively flat bag which may remain in a flatconfiguration or rolled when not filled with fluid.

A further object or feature of the present invention is to provide a newand improved breach bag that may be selectively filled in a singularbladder through an integral fill spout that attaches to the bladder wallwithout the use of rigid valve material.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved breach bag having alternative spout configurations for sealingthe bag when filled.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a breachbag having a bladder and spout configuration that enables the user toeffectively “burp” the bag to eliminate air pockets so as to increasethe control over the shape of the blast wave when explosive charges aredisposed within the bag and detonated.

An even further object of the present invention is to provide a breachbag that when filled surrounds and captures a length of det cord in aninterior space so as to eliminate the need for independent means forattaching the det cord.

Other novel features which are characteristic of the invention, as toorganization and method of operation, together with further objects andadvantages thereof will be better understood from the followingdescription considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, inwhich preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way ofexample. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawing arefor illustration and description only and are not intended as adefinition of the limits of the invention. The various features ofnovelty which characterize the invention are disclosed herein and willbe identified with particularity in claims forming part of anon-provisional patent application claiming the benefit of the prioritydate of this disclosure. The invention resides not in any one of thesefeatures taken alone, but rather in the particular combination of all ofits structures for the functions specified.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention as well as its various objects and advantages will bebetter understood when consideration is given to the following detaileddescription thereof Such description makes reference to the annexeddrawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a first preferredembodiment of the breach bag in its unfilled and collapsedconfiguration, with detonation cord inserted through the cylindricalthrough hole or longitudinal passage;

FIG. 2 is a side view in elevation thereof;

FIG. 3 is a front view in elevation thereof;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view showing the breach bag being filledthrough its integral fill spout;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional front view in elevation thereof, as takenalong section line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view in elevation thereof, as takenalong section line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional top end view thereof, taken along sectionline 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8A is an upper front right perspective view showing the breach bagfilled and readied for the fill spout to be tied off with a zip tie;

FIG. 8B is the same view showing the fill spout tied off; and

FIG. 9 is the same view showing the breach bag deployed and readied foruse, secured by tape to the surface of a door.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 9, wherein like reference numerals refer tolike components in the various views, there is illustrated a new andimproved selectively fillable bag for use with explosives in breachingbuilding structures such as doors, walls, ceilings, roofs, and the like.An embodiment of the inventive apparatus is generally denominated 10herein.

FIG. 1 shows the inventive breach bag 10 in its collapsed and foldedconfiguration. The breach bag includes a bladder portion 12 whichincludes an exterior wall or side 14 joined with a lap weld 15 to acontiguous panel forming an interior wall or side 16. The walls eachcomprise flexible material panels affixed or butt welded at theirrespective upper and lower edges, 18, 20, and 22, 24. The panels may befabricated from polyvinylchloride or other comparable flexible,thermoplastic material, such as polycarbonate, vinyl, or other materialsuitable for thermoforming and thermoplastic welding using sonic, heat,and RF welding techniques. As noted, the panels are joined and lapwelded at their respective sides in a lap weld 15.

In this configuration, the breach bag body 12 is tubular in form with ahollow wall functioning as a fluid bladder, the interior wall definingan interior passage 40.

A smaller tubular structure, namely, a fill spout 26 having an openupper end 28 is sealingly attached at its lower end 30 to the exteriorside 14 and includes an opening 32 coincident with an opening in anupper portion 34 of the exterior wall so as to put the open end of thefill spout into fluid communication with the bladder interior space.

As seen in FIGS. 3-9, a length of detonation cord 36 may be insertedinto the interior passage 40 defined by the cylindrical interior wall16. The cord inserts easily through the passage when the bag is empty,but when the bag is filled, as shown in FIGS. 4-6 using a hose or spigot38, the cord is captured and retained in place as the fluid 42 urges thesurface of interior wall into a face-to-face approximation, such thatthere is essentially no through passage remaining, save for the spaceoccupied by the det cord itself.

As seen in FIG. 6, once the breach bag is filled with fluid 42, theremay remain an air space 44 in the fill spout. This is easily eliminatedor “burped” out simply by squeezing or rolling the spout at and abovethe highest fluid level and closing it with a clamp or cable tie 46 atthe resulting highest fluid level 48.

In the filled configuration, with det cord inserted and secured, thebreach bag may be placed against a structure to be breached, such as adoor 50. If necessary or advantageous, tape 52 may be employed toposition and hold the bag in place.

Variations in the preferred embodiments include providing a fill spoutwith a funicular top, a flange at the top, or a stove pipe top. Strapsor tabs may be affixed to the upper portion of the bag to enable hangingthe bag against a wall or door.

In fabrication, the following method steps may be employed:

First, a main body panel is cut from a frost clear PVC panel, twice thefinish size in width plus room for the lap weld on the side and doublethe finish size in length with extra material for a butt weld near thebottom edge.

Second, the location of the fill spout inlet hole is marked on the upperportion of the panel where the exterior wall of the bladder will belocated when the fill spout hole is welded to the upper side of thebladder; otherwise it is marked dead center in the length dimension ofthe panel and slightly off center in the width dimension (i.e., thewidth less a lap seam allowance) when the fill spout inlet hold iswelded directly to the material where it is folded in half.

Third, when making a flat fill spout, an elongated strip of material iscut at double the length needed to form the flat spout to be welded tothe side wall of the bladder. It is lined up where appropriate on themain body and welded around the circular opening. The center is punchedout to create the opening into the fill spout, and the flat sleeve isthen folded over, bottom to top and butt welded at both sides in aclosure.

For a tubed fill spout, a hole is punched in the main body of thebladder before welding the tubed fill spout. The location of the fillhole will be substantially exactly positioned at the middle of the mainbody less a seam allowance for the lap weld. The fill spout isfabricated at a length and diameter appropriate to the bladder andwelded slightly to the outside of the fill hole using a round die.

Fourth, if manufacturing with handling straps, the straps are bar tackedto reinforced material to form “patches”, which can then be welded tothe main body of the bladder in predetermined locations.

Fifth, the PVC main body panel is folded lengthwise and welded down theside to form an elongated tubular body.

Sixth, the elongated tubular main body is folded outside in keeping thespout or any patches/straps to the outside of the bladder with the flatfill spout slightly below the fold at the top of the tubular fill spout.

Seventh, when the main body is folded inward, the top edge of the mainbody will line up with the bottom edge of the main body and both layersof material are butt welded closed using a round die. This forms anelongate double walled tubular bladder with a longitudinal passageopening through its center.

The foregoing disclosure is sufficient to enable those with skill in therelevant art to practice the invention without undue experimentation.The disclosure further provides the best mode of practicing theinvention now contemplated by the inventor. It will be appreciated bythose skilled in the art that the basic breach bag design may take on amultitude of configurations depending upon the desired application.

While the particular breach bag apparatus and method herein shown anddisclosed in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects andproviding the advantages stated herein, it is to be understood that itis merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of theinvention and that no limitations are intended concerning the detail ofconstruction or design shown other than as defined in the appendedclaims. Accordingly, the proper scope of the present invention should bedetermined only by the broadest interpretation of the appended claims soas to encompass obvious modifications as well as all relationshipsequivalent to those illustrated in the drawings and described in thespecification.

9 What is claimed as invention is:
 1. A breach bag, comprising acollapsible, flexible cylindrical container having a singular continuoustubular bladder with spaced apart flexible interior and exteriormembrane sides, said interior side defining and surrounding a hollowinterior portion into which an explosive charge, such as detonation cordmay be disposed.
 2. The breach bag of claim 1, wherein said bladder isconfigured to be filled with water and/or a water-based composition andwhen so filled said interior membrane side of said bladder forms aninterior space sized to grasp and hold a length of det cord.
 3. Thebreach bag of claim 2, wherein said bladder is fabricated from flexiblethermoplastic material.
 4. The breach bag of claim 1, wherein saidbreach bag is collapsible into a flat configuration including fourlayers of flexible material.
 5. The breach bag of claim 1, furtherincluding an integral fill spout that attaches to a side of saidbladder.
 6. The breach bag of claim 5, wherein the attachment of saidintegral fill spout with said side of said bladder does not includerigid valve material.
 7. The breach bag of claim 1, wherein said bladderhas an exterior membrane side joined with a lap weld to a contiguouspanel forming an interior membrane side.
 8. The breach bag of claim 7,wherein said interior and exterior membrane sides each comprise flexiblematerial panels affixed or butt welded at their respective upper andlower edges.
 9. The breach bag of claim 8, wherein said panels arefabricated from thermoplastic material suitable for thermoforming andthermoplastic welding.
 10. The breach bag of claim 1, further includinga funicular fill spout integral with said exterior membrane side.
 11. Abreach bag, comprising a cylindrical and tubular bladder formed fromspaced apart flexible interior and exterior membrane sides having a flatconfiguration in an unfilled configuration and when filled with fluid, afilled configuration wherein said interior membrane side defines acylindrical interior wall with portions of the surface of said interiormembrane side urged against one another such that a length of detonationcord may be disposed and secured in place.
 12. The breach bag of claim11, further including a fill spout configured for filling from a hose orspigot.
 13. The breach bag of claim 11, wherein said membrane sides aremade from thermoplastic material
 14. The breach bag of claim 13, whereinsaid membrane sides are clear PVC.
 15. A method of making a breach bag,comprising: (a) cutting a main body panel from a thermoplastic, sizedapproximately twice the finish size in width with room for a weld on aside of the panel and approximately double the finish size in lengthwith extra material for a weld near a bottom edge; (b) locating andmarking a fill spout inlet hole the upper portion of the main bodypanel; (c) making a fill spout from an elongated strip of material cutat double the length needed to form the flat spout to be welded to theside wall of the bladder; (d) making a hole in the main body of thebladder for the fill spout; (e) welding the fill spout to the main body;(f) folding the main body panel lengthwise and welding the side to forman elongated tubular body; (g) folding the elongated tubular main bodyoutside while keeping the fill spout to the outside of the bladder withthe fill spout slightly below a fold at the top of the tubular fillspout; (h) lining up the top edge of the main body will with the bottomedge of the main body; and (i) welding both layers of material closed toform an elongate double-walled tubular bladder with a longitudinalpassage opening through a center.
 16. The method of claim 15, furtherincluding tacking handling straps to reinforced material to form patchesand welding the patches to the main body panel in predeterminedlocations.